It’s Reality, only Augmented

One term that I’ve been reading a lot about is Augmented Reality, something that sounds so Aldous Huxley Brave New World, but seems to be the next big thing.  I first heard it related to QR codes (Quick Response), which are digital bar codes and can be created and applied to anything.  Some cool things that you can do with these are listed here: https://mashable.com/search?query=qr%20codes

Augmented reality (as I understand it, and I ain’t no techie) is that they are “apps” on devices (typically smartphones) that layer additional information to your basic website.  Kind of like pop-up video, for those of you who remember it .  Some favorite apps were listed here: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-augmented-reality-apps/

The learning and development applications for these types of technology is so intriguing and I think makes the prospect of using your phone for learning (going beyond staring at the little screen) much more interesting.  Imagine using AR for new employee orientation in retail scenarios (hand a new person the smart device and as they move around the facility it plays short video, links to product information, etc).  More immersive than other technologies which are sometimes dismissed because they are too passive.